A few weeks ago I received an email from a member of the ParentingAces community. It said, "We have a limited budget for tennis and you know personally how expensive it can be with all the costs adding up. I would love to hear a program on how to get the most bang for your buck. That is, ways to help your child become a great tennis player when you don't have a large income to draw on."

Ask and ye shall receive! In this week's episode, we address the topic of developing a high-level junior tennis player on a tight budget.

Coach Mike Belangia and parent/coach Will Segraves share their ideas and personal experience of how to Junior Tennis when you don't have six figures to spend.

Mike runs a program in North Carolina called Greensboro Tennis Program. According to what I've learned, the group practices on public courts, and the rates for lessons/academy and traveling coaches is very affordable. They also offer financial aid.

Will has raised his own son on a very limited budget and shares how he helped Gavin develop to such a high level that he was recruited by the Naval Academy to play tennis beginning Fall 2019.

I posted the question on the ParentingAces Facebook Group and received some great comments and suggestions there, too. One in particular stood out: "I worked at the tennis club, running their summer camps for over 9 years. I never got paid a dime, but my kids received free year round lessons many days per week. Wasn’t easy but well worth it and it was wonderful to be a part of all that they were doing." That comment was posted by my dear friend, Melanie Rubin, mom to Noah Rubin (ATP 139) and Jessie Rubin who played at Binghamton University.

Mike Belangia (pictured on the left) has been the City tennis director for Greensboro, NC for over 23 years. During that time his organization has run more than 600 tournaments including national and state championships. In 2001 he formed the Greensboro Tennis Program, one of the top junior training programs in the southeast. GTP is committed to providing opportunities for all kids in Greensboro to grow on and off the court. Mike has been fortunate enough to work with some the top pros in North Carolina history including Jim Winstead, Henry Hostetler and Jim Haslam. You can reach Mike at mike@greensborotennis.com.

Will Segraves (pictured on the right) is the Tournaments & Social Coordinator at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, VA. Prior to his stint in Charlottesville, Will was the Tennis Director at PGA Tour in Duluth, GA. He has coached several elite junior players including his own children. You can reach Will at coachsegraves@gmail.com.

A big thank you to STØNE for our music! You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. 

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